Onyewu Watch

Smarty pants.

 

From my Newcastle mate. Hardly sounds like a done deal.

Glenn sweats on Gooch bid Jan 29 2007

By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle

Newcastle United were forced to play a waiting game today in their bid to get Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu and St Etienne striker Frederic Piquionne on loan.

And the stumbling block to both deals was the same - neither the Belgian or French outfits are keen to let their players go out on loan unless United agree to making the moves permanent at the end of the season.

But unfortunately for United fans desperate for a signing, reports today that Roeder was on the verge of signing the "next Thierry Henry," Ajax striker Ryan Babel, are not correct.

With the closure of the January transfer window now just a couple of days away, there is no time for United to make any permanent signings.

And I understand if the loan moves of Onyewu and Piquionne fall through then Roeder will have to make do with what he has got and rely on his current squad for the rest of the season.

All Roeder would say today was: "We want to take Onyewu and Piquionne on loan and we are now waiting for permission for their clubs to do so."

I get the impression that Roeder is more confident of landing "Gooch" than he is of persuading St Etienne to release Piquionne, a player that they value at £5m.

Roeder's big pal Gerard Houllier is keen to take Piquionne to Lyon to play alongside his former Liverpool striker Milan Baros, who the Frenchman picked up from Aston Villa last week.

Real Betis and Portsmouth have also been keeping tabs on the St Etienne striker.

Gooch is a 24-year-old American international who started his career with United's old friends DC United before having spells with Metz in France and La Louviere in Belgium.

He moved to Standard Liege in 2004 but would love a crack at Premiership football with United at St James' Park.

Piquionne is a 28-year-old striker from Martinque who, Roeder says, is very highly rated in France.

United fans I have spoken to are upset about the lack of activity in the transfer market and they have every right to hope that Babel would have come in, especially as those reports today claimed that Albert Luque was supposed to be going in the opposite direction.

Roeder said: "Reports that we are paying £5m to bring Babel to St James' Park are pie-in-the-sky."

As a result, it looks as though Roeder is going to be lumbered with Luque sulking around the training ground until at least the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Roeder has denied that United are to make a bid for Deportivo La Coruna's Argentinian defender Fabricio Coloccini.

 

Newcatle Utd Sign Onyewu on loan till the end of the season.
Sky Sports News 14.32pm

United States international Oguchi Onyewu has joined Newcastle United on loan for the rest of the season after passing a medical on Tuesday.

The Standard Liege stopper arrives to strengthen Glenn Roeder's injury ravaged squad at St James' Park in a deal first revealed by skysports.com.

'Gooch', as the defender is known, will help add some international experience to a Magpies defence that has taken on a youthful look in recent weeks due to a succession of injuries.

The former Metz man had been on the brink of joining North East rivals Middlesbrough in the summer before a move to The Riverside fell through.

After playing for his country in the World Cup, Onyewu was also linked with European luminaries such as Chelsea, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Milan and Marseille.

However he has now signed up to help Roeder's cause on Tyneside until the end of the current campaign.

 

Finally the "Days of Our Gooch" soap opera is over, sad he's not wearing white, but overjoyed he's not in blue. That Newcastle makes a good beer too.

 

At least he is sticking to Black & White, although the UPC symbols are hardly as cool.

Anyone know if we run Gooch through a scantron, how much he is worth?

 

Considering what has gone on til now... it aint over until Feb 1

 

.... ummm it's over!!

Gooch to show Fulham what they missed

 

Now I'm pissed. He chosse Newcastle over us? #@*% him! My love for Gooch just went down the toliet.

 

Oh the dilemmas of club and country... I have a hard time rooting against any Yank even if he did sell himself into 'Toon hell... Hopefully he doesn't catch the injury bug that's going around over there...